U.S. to send additional 1,000 troops to Afghanistan

Mon 22 January 201810:26 GMT | 14:26 Local Time

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The U.S. Army is readying plans that could increase the total force in Afghanistan by as many as 1,000 U.S. troops this spring beyond the 14,000 already in the country, senior military officials said, according to The Washington Post.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has not signed off on the proposals for the new forces, which are part of a broader strategy to bolster Afghan forces so that they can pound the Taliban during the upcoming fighting season.

It should be noted that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan dates back to October 2001.